Kimberley and Eastwood book away ties after thrilling FA Vase first round wins

Kimberley, who edged out Newark Town 7-6 on penalties on Saturday after a crazy 5-5 draw and now face Hanley Town away, who sit second in the Midland League Premier Division.

Meanwhile, Eastwood won 3-2 away at Irchester United, both sides having a man sent off, and next head for Heather St Johns, who are currently fourth in Midland League Division One.

The ties will take place on the weekend of Saturday, 8th November.

Kimberley knew it would be tricky at well-drilled Newark Town after recently playing them at home in the league.

Despite going 1-0 up early on through Kole Lambert from the penalty spot after Sacha Markelic had been brought down, Kimberley found themselves 4-1 down after 35 minutes and looked to have been dumped out the tie before it had even begun.

Fin Ryder had a chance to reduce the arrears after a mazey run but saw his effort go just over the bar.

Kimberley were thrown a lifeline on the stroke of half-time when a Lambert solo goal reduced the lead going into the break.

The second half continued to entertain as Kimberley chipped away at Newark and were soon back in the tie with a Lambert wonder strike for his hat-trick.

Newark were then reduced to 10 men when Fin Ryder raced through on goal, but goalkeeper Scott Loach handled outside the area to thwart his advance on goal and was shown a straight red.

With nine minutes to go Kimberley appeared to have got themselves right back in the game as Josh Timson gathered the ball on the edge of the box beating the offside and cleverly slotting the ball home.

Almost straight from kick off Newark took the lead once more and looked to be going through when striker Rushden headed home at the near post to make it 5-4.

With six minutes added Kimberley weren’t not done and Markelic levelled the tie with a minute left on the clock.

The turnaround was completed on penalties as Kimberley’s Thomas Smith pulled off a sudden death save and Lewis Partridge converted to send Kimberley through.

Kimberley next travel to in-form Hucknall Town on Wednesday night before another long trip to Blackstones on Saturday.

Eastwood CFC made the long journey to Northamptonshire to face Irchester with interim management duo Aaron O’Connor and Mark O’Leary and built on their debut win against Clay Cross the previous weekend with Vase progress.

Interim boss Aaron O’Connor said: “We’re pleased with the win. I don’t think the scoreline really reflects the control we had in the game.

“We’re disappointed to concede two goals and we could have had a few more with the chances we created.

“But cup games are all about being in the hat for the next round and we’ve achieved that.”

“We travelled with a young squad, including four 17-year-olds with only a handful of first team games between them.

“I thought they rose to the challenge — they’re a credit to themselves, their parents, and the club’s development pathway.

“A lot of credit has to go to Lewis McGugan, the Academy lead. He works with them every day. “The fact they’re able to come into a first-team environment and not look out of place says a lot.”

There was one enforced change to the starting lineup, as Marcus Marshall replaced the suspended Tyler Blake up front.

A youthful squad travelled, featuring four Academy players.

Eastwood started brightly, dominating the early proceedings and looking particularly dangerous down the flanks through Tom Hodgkinson and Noh Abraha.

The breakthrough came on 29 minutes, when Hodgkinson netted his second goal of the season — a composed finish following an excellent delivery from Abraha.

Despite Eastwood’s control, Irchester drew level against the run of play just before the break.

On 43 minutes, Dylan Wilson struck a superb dipping volley from distance, giving Sam Wilson no chance in the Eastwood goal.

However, Eastwood were not finished.

On the stroke of half-time, Phil Watt rose highest to meet a set-piece, planting a powerful header past the Irchester goalkeeper to restore Eastwood’s lead.

Eastwood picked up where they left off after the break.

Just minutes in, a ball over the top released Marcus Marshall, who was brought down in the box by a desperate last-ditch challenge from Daniel Law — a challenge that earned Law a straight red card.

Terry Hawkridge stepped up and calmly converted the resulting penalty to make it 3–1 to the visitors.

Irchester responded almost immediately. A penalty was awarded at the other end when Declan Dunn was judged to have fouled his man during a clearance attempt — a decision that looked harsh – and Dylan Wilson converted from the spot.

Tempers flared shortly after, and Wilson was sin-binned for a petulant reaction to a referee’s decision, reducing Irchester to nine men.

Eastwood took advantage of the extra space, ringing the changes and introducing several Academy players.

By full-time, three had featured — a testament to the club’s growing development pathway.

Academy prospect Alfie Flynn impressed with a composed and mature performance, earning himself the Man of the Match award.

However, O’Connor was shown a red card late on following his reaction to an apparent elbow on an Eastwood player — a moment that slightly soured an otherwise successful afternoon for the visitors.

The Red Badgers host MeltonTown on Saturday and in the meantime the club have issued a statement on their manager search, saying: “We want to take a moment to update our fans on the ongoing search for a new first-team manager.

From the outset, we made it clear that we would take our time and follow a thorough, considered process to ensure we make the right appointment — one that fits the long-term vision of the club.

“A key part of that vision is built around the strong team spirit, togetherness, and stability that has developed within the squad.

“Many of our core players have been together for two or even three seasons, and preserving that unity is extremely important to us.

“With that in mind, we’ve asked senior players Aaron O’Connor and Jake Wright, along with first-team coach Mark O’Leary, to guide the group during this interim period.

“Their leadership has been excellent, and we’re pleased with how they’ve maintained standards both on and off the pitch.

“They will continue in their roles for the foreseeable future.

“We will be conducting interviews with a select few prospective candidates over the course of the next week or two. We will continue to keep everyone informed.”